Second year Day 15 - Friday December 28, 2012

Today I took Bridgett and Arrianne to do some shopping for Arrianne's birthday (on Sunday).  Stephany didn't feel good enough to go (sad!).  Bridgett helped Arrianne pick out some cute clothes and was very fun/cute with her comments about how things looked.  It's so nice to have Arrianne here to spend some time with her sisters!  We are all loving it!

Second year Day 14 - Thursday December 27, 2012

Today I took Bridgett all to the Bigfork Clinic to see Michelle Helwig.  We have really enjoyed having her as Bridgett's primary care physician.  She is so personally interested in her patients and really seems to care!  We were supposed to follow-up with Michelle after we had Bridgett in the ER back in November, but with travelling etc. it just hasn't happened until now.  Also, Bridgett has been complaining about pain in her lungs, and since she is prone to pneumonia I thought we should just check it out.  Michelle said that Bridgett's lungs are clear; she's just got congestion. So, no more antibiotics--yeah!  We discussed the whole kidney stone thing and Michelle agreed that it seems that Bridgett did pass a stone at the ER.  So, one of Bridgett's gifts for Christmas--an anatomy coloring book.  Bridgett has always been interested in anatomy and she also took anatomy as part of her curriculum at Provo College, where she was taking their personal trainer program.  She and I started studying it on Tuesday; she did some coloring of the bones in the leg. Each day now we have reviewed the names of the femur, the tibia and the fibula.  By today she is remembering the names of the bones.  Further indications that she can re-learn and memorize things when she gets back to college at some point!  Exciting!  Tonight I took Stephany to meet with her Young Women's President, Sister Neilsen.  We discussed Bridgett's situation with her.  I was thinking back to the beginning, when Bridgett pretty much spoke her own language.  Everything they asked her to name in therapy, she used a word that wasn't from English for sure!  I started secretly writing down some of the words and she would use the same word for the same things each time, just like it really was a language.  She could even spell these words, which the speech therapist said she had never seen before--someone spelling the nonsense words.  I believe that it's because it was an actual language for her.  Anyway, at some point the therapist said we can't understand your language.  I began to tell her that she needed to learn to speak English so we would know what she was talking about.  Anyway, of course, she is doing great now and very rarely forgets the actual name of something.  The other day though, she looked in the mirror and said that her hair was all skwoofy.  I said what is that word and she spelled it for me.  Maybe it's a hang on word from the other language!  Hum.....

Second year Day 13 - Wednesday December 26, 2012

Bridgett asks many questions a day--trying to figure everything out again.  For a couple of weeks she has been asking how many feet are in a mile.  Today she turned to me during breakfast and said there's 5,280 feet in a mile you know.  She remembered!  Yes!  So, we know that she remembers things that happen that impress her mind for whatever reason (like throwing up in the taxi or seeing the Statue of Liberty).  Now, we see her remembering facts that she has learned.  This is important when we think of her being able to go back to school again!  Today I got the best letter from Courtney's mom, Penny.  Remember they are the great people that we met at the U of U inpatient rehab in Salt Lake.  Courtney had a TBI in October and was getting released from the rehab just a couple of days after Bridgett was admitted.  We try to stay in touch with each other.  Penny has been a great support to me through all of this.  There are only so many people that can really understand what life is like for a caregiver of a TBI survivor.  I cried all through the letter; it was great!  Courtney sent Bridgett a wonderful picture of a girl being held in the arms of the Savior....just like they were during their comas.  It made me cry!  Bridgett loves the picture and it has a special place where she can see it daily now. 

Second year Day 12 - Tuesday December 25, 2012 Christmas Day!

We had a really nice Christmas Day today!  We opened presents, had our traditional breakfast of waffles with strawberries/raspberries and whipped cream and then rested, played, visited the rest of the day.  We all held our breath, so to speak, until midnight when we finally knew that no one was in the hospital.  Of course, the obvious person would have been Jenn, but she made it through the day!  The babies are doing just great and Jenn is staying on bed rest.  She will find out next week what day they will do the C-section.  Bridgett's best gift--a light for her kindle so that she can see better to read at night.  The bedside lamp just isn't quite bright enough really so she has to have two lights on to read at night.  Now she can just have the bedside light and this light.  It's called a kindle kandle and she thought that was just way too cute of a name! 

Second year Day 11 - Monday December 24, 2012

Christmas Eve!  The first thing we did this morning was go to the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor for an exam regarding Bridgett's vertigo (yes, on Christmas Eve!).  We had to wait for quite a while to get in and then the doctor actually spent quite a bit of time with us.  He did his exam which included some tests for the vertigo.  Finally he said that he wanted to do an Electronystagmography (ENG) test on January 2nd to further investigate the matter.  He said that the vertigo could be caused by a problem in the ear, or a problem in the brain, or a problem with the brain getting the correct info from the ear.  He said these problems may just correct themselves over the next year, he can't say at this point.  He said the problem is not with the little crystals in the ear--that part of balance was fine.  I came home and read about the test and actually it doesn't sound that fun.  The article I read said that the test itself could cause dizziness/nausea during the test and then for hours afterwards. Hum......
Bridgett and I stopped at Target for a last minute gift and we saw Joann Tanner in the parking lot.  It was great to say hi to her!  We then came home and did some of our family traditions....we had a nice dinner, then Mark read the Christmas story from the Bible.  Everyone got to open one present and then I read a short story I have read to the kids every year since Scott and Jenn were little--The Gingerbears First Christmas.  My sister Sue bought this book and gave it to us way back when!  The funny thing about opening a present tonight.....last night when I tucked Bridgett in I said tomorrow's Christmas Eve and she said we get to open a present, right? 

Second year Day 10 - Sunday December 23, 2012

Today it has been one year since Dad passed.  It's hard in some ways to believe it's been a year, yet in other ways it seems so much longer.  Dad, we all miss you and love you so much!  Thanks for everything you have done for all of us over the years.! Thanks for being such an amazing father!  I do feel as if my life has been so blessed because I am your daughter!  Mark, Bridgett, Arrianne and I went to church today.  It was a hard day for me and I was close to tears often.  When I got home I called mom and although I didn't want to cry on the phone, I did; I think I needed to.  She was leaving soon with Jon's family to go to the cemetery.  Bridgett was very sweet with me all day, hugging me if I was teary and saying that if she could she would take my pain.  Of course, the rest of the family was very sweet as well.  Thanks for the support everyone!  We are all so blessed to be part a family that loves each other! 

Second year Day 9 - Saturday December 22, 2012

In our quest for having Bridgett read national news and discuss it I have realized that often there is very little national news in our local newspaper.  Also, sometimes for days the same story will be discussed.  Originally it was suggested that we subscribe to Time or Newsweek in order for her to read the national news.  Perhaps I need to do that; something to check into.  Just in case you are wondering, Jenn and the twins are doing really well.  Jenn is doing great at staying down and resting.  My family was just so sweet! For their annual Christmas party they decided to get together and assemble freezer meals and snacks for the kids to help Jenn out!! It was so wonderful, when they told me I started crying!! Mark's sister Deb has been able to come over twice for the  afternoon to help with the kids and that has been great.  Also, Mandy (Mike's wife) was able to come over for an afternoon and help out.  I really do appreciate everyone's help so much.  I just can't be there right now and it's hard to be here and unable to help.  We will of course go down when the twins are born.  Hopefully by that time Stephany will be feeling better and be able to help out holding a baby and Bridgett will be able to help out holding a baby and not be so bothered by the crying and or noise in general! Anyway, THANKS to everyone!  Oh I forgot to mention...this week is the first evening that it happened that we asked Bridgett what she ate for breakfast and she remembered!  She also remembered her lunch and the snacks she had that day.  Woo hoo!!  It was hind of funny because it was just a few days before, at the neurologist's office, that Mark had commented that she remembers random short term memory stuff but she can't remember just details of the day, like what she ate for breakfast.  Well, apparently now she can!!  She also was able to do a reverse seven digit number this week!  Double woo hoo!  I was so happy I ran to the computer to email our program coach!  I was literally jumping up and down with excitement! 

Second year Day 8 - Friday December 21, 2012

Bridgett was taken with the fact that today it is 12.21.12.  She recognized that herself and I am always glad when she sees little things like that.  Several times during the day she commented that it's so funny that the date is one two, two one, one two!  I am still having fits with Quick Books and had to run into town again this morning.  Bridgett decided to go with me and we ran into Walmart while we were there as well as stopped by Target for one thing.  When we pulled up into the parking space at Target, we saw Joanne Tanner from Bigfork!  That was fun! It gets tiring going into town so often, plus it really puts the crunch on time for doing Bridgett's program.  I still try to do some of the things while we are driving...asking questions, doing digits, etc.  We do a lot of work with sequences.  For instance, I give her a list of things to tell me and then she has to remember the sequence of questions and then answer them in order.  She can easily remember a sequence of three questions and sometimes she can do four.  I do notice that if she gets distracted with asking me questions she loses the sequence.  For example, I might ask her to name three jungle animals, three blue things and three things in the sky.  She then has to wait until I finish the sequence and then remember the sequence and answer in order.  Sometimes she gives me an answer and then she has a why question for me in the middle of the sequence.  If I answer her, she forgets the rest of the sequence.  I think that could happen to anyone, but I just have to keep reminding her to stay on task, stay on the sequence.  Of course, by the time we finish the sequence she forgets her question but still she needs to learn to stay on task.  As time goes by I will help her stop and write the question down to ask me later.  Right now that would be too distracting as well.  Many of these things we do daily are to help her re-establish her short term memory so that she will be able to get back to college, listen to a professor lecture, take notes and recall. 

Second year Day 7 - Thursday December 20, 2012

Well, to add to our busy week we ended up going into town again today.  Bridgett and I took Arrianne in to a couple of appointments and we did a little more Christmas shopping in between.  I had the girls help out with getting things for the Christmas stockings.  I can't believe that I started shopping only a few days ago and I am already done today.  Of course, we aren't very extravagant at Christmas ever, and this year we are holding it down a little more than usual.  The girls and I are doing a little more baking and candy making today and that's always fun.  Bridgett's job today (every Thursday) is to help out making a menu for the week.  It's interesting to see what she is remembering these days about holidays.  She remembered lots of things but struggled remembering our traditional Christmas breakfast.  She remembered parts of it and we cued her on the rest.  Another thing Bridgett is supposed to do to help her eyes is called far point/near point.  I ordered an eye chart for her and then Mark took it to Insty Prints and they copied it and shrunk it.  She is supposed to sit in front of the wall chart and look at it, then down to the small copy and read the same letter on both.  Then she slowly moves down the list, switching back and forth between the wall copy and the handheld copy.  This is teaching her eyes to focus back and forth..distance to near point...hence the name far point/near point. 

Second year Day 6 - Wednesday December 19, 2012

Today we headed into town for a speech therapy appointment with Lynne.  However, we arrived there and got settled in her office and she never showed up.  We walked around after a while and inquired about her.  Someone finally told me that she apologized and would be arriving soon.  At length, we had waited 40 minutes and decided to leave.  Just as we were leaving we ran into her in the hallway.  She was extremely apologetic and we just visited for about 10 minutes and then left.  I was actually glad to see that Bridgett did a pretty good job of being patient while waiting.  Bridgett pre-accident was a very punctual person and also somewhat impatient with late people.  Today she was annoyed, but handled it well.  Next we went to Target to do a little bit of shopping.  Bridgett helped pick out some jewelry for Arrianne...knowing just what she'd like.  We then hustled to the shop so that I could do a backup and install an update to QuickBooks.  Next we headed to the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor.  Bridgett continues to have vertigo and so they wanted her to get her hearing/ears checked out at the ENT.  She actually has an appointment on Monday, Christmas eve, to see the doctor, but they wanted to get her hearing checked today first.  Also today they did a tympanogram.  The results....everything is normal hearing wise.  I said then does that mean that the vertigo is because of the brain injury and what does that mean as far as getting better.  The audiologist said that the doctor will do further testing on Monday and then discuss the whole thing further.  He said that he has seen just this thing before, following a TBI.  So, we'll see on Monday I guess.  Then after that appointment we still had to go to the bank, the gas station and the grocery store.  Bridgett was glad to finally get home and see her sisters, who had been busy trying to make some English Toffee with marginal results.  We all spent the evening visiting and having fun.

Second year Day 5 - Tuesday December 18, 2012

So, a week until Christmas.  I haven't spent time shopping yet, other than a few things online and shopping for Jenn's family while in Utah.  I need get going so that everyone has something for Christmas. It will be a difficult Christmas for the family, remembering Dad's passing last Christmas Eve (while Bridgett was still in a coma).  All in all it was a very hard Christmas for our family last year.  I do know that many people have hard Christmas's and I have always been mindful of this fact....it just hasn't happened that we have had such a hard Christmas until now.  Bridgett is supposed to be reading some national news and then discussing it with the family.  We are trying to get her up to date about things that people will be discussing when she returns to college in the future.  Last week we discussed the launching of the satellite by North Korea.  Today we discussed the terrible shooting in CT.  It's a depressing subject, but will be discussed for a long time and she needs to know about big events.  I know that these people will have a VERY hard Christmas without their little babies with them.  It's just so hard!  But of course, with we all know that those who have passed are in a much more wonderful place---it's just so hard to miss them so much and to not have them near to hug and hold.  Mom...I know how hard it is; we love you and think of you daily! In fact, today Bridgett said (with distress in her voice) I'm so sorry I lived if Grandpa had to die because of me.  I reassured her that she was supposed to live and that Grandpa had already lived a wonderful life.  He was there to help her wake up from the coma and get better and he would have wanted to do that I know.  He is watching over our family now and I feel his influence from time to time. 

Second year Day 4 - Monday December 17, 2012

We spent the day at home today.  Bridgett is always in a great mood but seemed particularly happy today.  I said to her...you're having a great day!  What's great about today?  She said.....Arri's here!  I just love her and miss her!  I love it that everyone's so close!  Of course, I do realize that Bridgett misses Arri so much.  Thank goodness Arri will be home for three weeks, although the time is already flying by!  In January we will be in Provo when the twins are born and it will be good for them to spend a little more time together as well.  BTW we finally got the Christmas tree decorated.  After we got it up Stephany and Bridgett were not feeling well enough to get it decorated.  And then it got to be this emotional thing I think....remembering that last year Arri was coming home on the 15th and we were going to decorate the tree together....and then because of the wreck didn't get to.  So, anyway, we've just been enjoying it without any decorations (but a good smell!).  So, tonight we finally got it all decorated and then just sat around and visited with each other by the glow of the lights.  I love this time of the year!

Second year Day 3 - Sunday December 16, 2012

Bridgett is still having kidney pain and Stephany is still sick, so Tyler stayed home with them while Arrianne and I met Mark at church (he'd gone early for meetings).  It was nice to actually get to sacrament meeting and well as fun to be at church with Arri.  We pretty much hustled in and out to hurry home and get back to Bridgett.  We all had a good day of visiting and resting and it feels so nice to just be together!  Thanks to all of you who called or sent me an email over the weekend about the one year mark.  It's so nice to know we have support!

Second year Day 2 - Saturday December 15, 2012

Arrianne arrived safely today.  Actually from the time of the accident last evening until we got home safely, we all worried about something happening and we were all very much relieved when she was safe and sound.  Her friends invited her to meet them in Springville at 10:00 last night and she declined.  I had told her to stay home and rest and be safe--not to go anywhere.  I was glad I had said that!  I mean, I know we are all being paranoid, but everyone just wants everyone in the family to be safe!  Now we got past that 24 hour period I think everyone will be much calmer!  Scott, Jaclyn and Weston came out and spent the evening with us, visiting and playing games with Bridgett.  It was great to see them!  Everyone's been so busy working lately, it's been hard to find a time to get together.  Weston was delighted to see that he's quickly approaching Arrianne's height.  You should have seen the surprised look in Arrianne's eyes when he gave her a hug and she realized how tall he has gotten!  Bridgett gave him a hug and called him "little man."  I thought that was cute!  Anyway, it was nice to be together.  Earlier in the day we sat around and talked about a few funny things that happened while Bridgett was in the hospital.  We joked about the cleaning lady, who was annoyed that Tyler slept there every night on the couch.  He wouldn't leave the hospital for anything.  She would come in the morning and vacuum and repeatedly hit the couch trying to bug him.  Also, we joked about Jenn falling asleep in the waiting room, with the bright lights in her eyes.  She finally grabbed a diaper from her diaper bag and put it over her face to block the light.  We got a picture of that!  We talked about everyone shaving their heads and how funny it must have looked to the other people in the waiting room.  We talked about other things as well, and it felt good to be able to think back and laugh at things!

Second year Day 1 - Friday December 14, 2012

Today was a much better day emotionally.  We had an appointment with Dr. Bret Lindsay today, the neurologist.  It was kind of interesting that our appointment was today, the one year mark.  Of course, Bridgett and I had discussed the fact that it has been a year.  Someone asked me if Bridgett was upset by the day and she really wasn't.  Of course, I always discuss it with her in a this way.....yay!  You're alive!  It's been a year, isn't that great!  We decided that we should celebrate the occasion--sort of a really special un-birthday!  After talking we decided that tomorrow, when Arri flies home from college, we will get together with Scott, Jaclyn and Weston and all be together and have a little party.  So, back to the doctors appointment.  The appointment went well.  We did discuss the fact that Bridgett is still dizzy from time to time.  He had her describe the symptoms and said that she is having vertigo.  He pointed out that she has had dizziness all along, which is true.  He really didn't have any other comment about it but I am still wondering if it will resolve itself or what.  We also discussed her vision.  I never did get a copy of the letter from Dr. Judith Warner at the Moran Eye Center.  I believe that she must have mailed it to Bridgett's Provo address.  I asked Dr. Lindsay for a copy and after I got home I read it and noticed that it did get sent to Provo.  She did recommend a doctor in Missoula to do the corrective surgery for the double vision, but thankfully Dr. Lindsay said that he thought we should wait at least another six months to do it, just to be sure.  I am glad he thinks this, because that is how we think.  The eyes have already done so much better and I think the eye exercises are helping.  So, we will watch and see.  This evening I talked to Arrianne on the phone and she was having a night like I had last night.  She knew it was the day before flying home, which it was last year the day of the accident.  About the time it happened she was at home alone, just like last year.  She started crying a bunch as well, being in Provo--it seemed so much like last year.  I called her about this time and we talked quite a while.  Bridgett also told her funny things to try to cheer her up and it seemed to work.  Finally she felt much better and we said goodbye.   Oh, funny things Bridgett said today.  When we were driving to the appointment I said Dr. Lindsay might ask you what you've been doing lately and what will you say?  She said....oh, you know, just becoming myself again!  That cracked me up!  Then when we walked into the building for her appointment, Bridgett was talking pretty loudly, telling me funny stuff and I said to her, you need to talk quietly now because we're inside here and she said.....mum will be my word!  She really does say the funniest things!!

Day 365 - Thursday December 13, 2012

Tomorrow it will be one year since the accident.  Again I am having an emotional day about things.  I have decided that when the accident happened, Mark and I had to be the strong ones.  We had to stay tough for the family.  I actually cried very little during the whole hospital stay.  Also, I was the one that was with Bridgett early in the morning when the doctors came in each day.  Many times they were the bearers of what seemed bad news.  I couldn't be crying during this time either.  Anyway, I told Mark that I think I have been saving up now for the last year and I am finally crying.  This seems silly I know because Bridgett is really doing so well.  But, at some point you just need to cry about things to work through them, and apparently that time is now.  Part of the time I was with Bridgett crying, even though I hated to do that.  But, no one else was available and so there I was.  She was so cute.  She first said...I'm sorry you have to cry because of me, it makes me so sad!  I assured her that it was OK and apologized for crying.  Then she kept saying funny things to try to cheer me up.  I was alternatively laughing and crying and it I'm sure it would have been a strange thing to see.  Anyway, I finally pulled it together and I was doing better until Mark got home.  Then I hugged him and cried some more. 

Day 364 - Wednesday December 12, 2012

Today Bridgett met with Lynne for speech therapy.  It's been several weeks since we have seen her because of our travels.  Lynne was actually quite surprised at how good Bridgett was doing.  She said that already she could see that the goals that she set after the last appointment have been met or exceeded.  She commented that she could hear a change in Bridgett's voice, in the tone of her voice.  She said I think I am hearing more of the "real" Bridgett. She also noticed that Bridgett's left eye seems to be getting better and commented that the daily eye exercises must be helping.  All in all it was a good appointment although Bridgett's pain meds started wearing off and by the last 20 minutes she was in real pain with the pain level at four.  It makes it hard to concentrate or respond with that kind of pain.  One interesting thing....Lynne had Bridgett read a paragraph and then she asked Bridgett to tell her what it said.  I sat there listening and wondering what Bridgett had read because she said....."there was this one time (a very Bridgett thing to say!) when my mom and I went for a walk.  It was very pretty.  We came to a place where there was this sand and I tried to walk on it.  Then I sank into the sand and my mom tried to help me out.  She had to call for help and someone came and rescued me."   Actually she was more descriptive than that but that's the jest of what she said.  I was wondering what kind of a paragraph Bridgett had read and why it would say something that was a story about us.  Lynne then said that Bridgett had read the paragraph and when she was telling about it she made up a story to explain the paragraph.  Bridgett had read what was actually a factual paragraph about quicksand and then made up the story.  Lynne said she thinks that Bridgett is just creative and makes things into a stories.  Bridgett said at this point that the story explained the situation so that people could understand it better.  Interesting....

Day 363 - Tuesday December 11, 2012

Even as I write the date I am filled with this strange feeling as the year mark approaches.  I am flooded with memories of that day a year ago when we got the call from the emergency room telling us about the accident and the surgery.  I tried to talk to the kids about the feelings I am having, thinking that they too would be having feelings.  Tyler said don't talk about it....it just makes us sad.  I don't want us to repress the feelings, but instead talk about them.  However, I guess everyone of us has to deal with things in our own way. 

Day 362 - Monday December 10, 2012

Something else that has changed over the past months.....when we play card games Bridgett has always just played for fun these past few months.  About a week ago she started wanting to score the games.  She matter-of-factly says, I want to win you know.  This is the real Bridgett!  Her sense of competitiveness kicking back in!  It's so great to see more and more of Bridgett returning all of the time!  Oh, great news about Jenn and the twins!  The babies are four pounds now, ahead of schedule actually.  The doctors said that they are so happy with their development at this point and they want to see her go until 36 weeks before delivering.  Jenn was so happy and excited to hear that; she has dreaded thinking they would be weeks and weeks in the NICU.  Anyway, also they said that the bottom twin, Logan, has moved into a position where he will stay at this point and this position actually protects the top twin, Lincoln, so that if Lincoln's waters breaks Logan will keep the placenta from tearing away causing the hemorrhaging (they believe).  So, anyway it means that we can all (especially Jenn and Tyler) quit panicking so much about there being a problem if Lincoln's water breaks first. 

Day 361 - Sunday December 9, 2012

Sometimes its just frustrating to all of us, mostly Bridgett I'm sure, when she has days with lots of pain.  Today was one of those day....terrible pain in the kidneys again.  It is so hard to watch her in pain!  The pain levels went up to a five and I finally gave her some Lortab.  She said from time to time...can someone just knock me out if it gets any higher.  Mark certainly could understand that level of pain from the kidneys.  That is exactly how he felt when he was trying to pass that kidney stone and actually those were also his exact words.  As if!  Anyway, we were planning on going to sacrament meeting but the pain intervened!  Now every time Bridgett showers she wants to straighten her hair.  She also talks about growing it out, but not too long.  These are such Bridgett things to say, do and think!  Although she had such long hair in her teen years, she cut it all off, donated it to Locks of Love and hasn't wanted long hair since.  Even though she initially wanted her hair to grow long after the accident, she has now come to the point of returning to her normal way of thinking about her hair length.  I think she will grow it to her shoulders and then be wanting to get it cut.

Day 360 - Saturday December 8, 2012

Today it snowed like 10 inches at our house and it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  We played Christmas music all morning and Mark got a beautiful fire started in the fireplace for us to enjoy.  Stephany and Bridgett worked together and put up the little lights on the banister and Mark and Tyler brought in the Christmas tree and got it all set up and looking (and smelling) beautiful.  We all love this time of year!  Stephany was pretty worn out after helping with the lights so we will wait to decorate the tree later on.  One goal that Bridgett and I have is to have her do more cooking and be able do more than just help me, which she does, but make things independently.  I should interject here that before the accident Bridgett really didn't like to cook.  In fact, she was pretty shrewd at getting around the whole cooking aspect of living independently.  One of her best secrets....date guys that like to cook!  She seemed to have an uncanny knack for this!  Many of the guys she dated would cook dinner for her almost every night and sometimes lunch as well.  I think that she always planned on marrying someone who loved cooking and would be willing and happy to assume this part of living as she never really enjoyed it.  But, now that we are setting goals for independence, we have set cooking goals.  I really don't think Bridgett remembers that she hates cooking and we are not reminding her! Instead we are using this window to try to get her cooking and liking it.  We'll see how that plays out!  We set this goal....each week she will cook a certain recipe with me (her choice mostly) and then later on in the week she will cook the same recipe by herself.  This week her choice...one of her favorite dinner meals....meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  Actually she started right out and said that she could do it herself and she did and it turned out great!  I did help peel some of the potatoes because by that time she was tiring out a little but otherwise she was in charge, followed the recipe and did great.  We are then compiling a list of recipes for her that she can cook by herself.  Somewhere in all of her packed things I do know that she has a recipe box filled with things that she learned to cook as a teenager but who knows where it is, so we are making another one. 

Day 359 - Friday December 7, 2012

This morning we cruised right through Bridgett's protocol, getting everything done relatively early in the day and then headed into town.  Mark and I had to meet with a notary to get some legal documents signed and we met at our office at 1:00 to do that.  I brought Bridgett with me.  Bridgett was excited to see Scott and ducked out of Mark's office and into Scott's to visit with him for a bit.  After we finished with the notary I was supposed to install the newest version of Quick Books (2013) which I planned would take only about a half an hour.  Instead, there were complications and the whole thing was an aggravation really and we ended up at the office until 4:30. Anyone who has installed new business software or had their software changed at work knows my frustration as I stared at the new screen following the install; I really hate it when things change!    BTW Bridgett was a trooper and either read her Kindle or played cards (I brought them with us) with Mark while I was wrestling with the install.  By the time I could leave it was getting dark and snowing and we still had a few stops to make.  I looked at my list, decided that several of the stops would have to wait, headed to the bank and then to the grocery store and we got everything as quickly as we could and hit the road.  The roads were less than ideal and the traffic was going very slowly...35 miles an hour all the way home which makes for a long drive.  When we crossed the bridge on Hwy 82 there was a police car with lights flashing and we could barely see that a pickup truck had gone headlong into the ditch.  The traffic was stopped going up the hill and then when it was clear to go several people were stuck on the slippery hill with no traction, including a semi truck.  There were men under the wheels presumably putting on chains in order to get up the hill.  Just ahead of the semi were several cars without good tires that were also stuck and couldn't get traction to drive on up the hill (thanks for making sure I had my studs on honey!).  We slowly passed these cars and the semi and turned onto Hwy 35.  From there on the speed was 25 miles per hour all the way home.  After that long afternoon at the shop and then the long drive we ended up at home pretty worn out and I told everyone that they could scrounge leftovers or do whatever they wanted but I wasn't cooking.  I had planned making something special for dinner but obviously much earlier in the day I had figured out that there wouldn't be time to make it anyway.  Oh well, so much for planning! I called Mark and explained the road situation to him.  Actually a couple of hours later when he came home there was still terrible traffice at the same spot and he was stuck on the bridge for 20 minutes. Obviously we didn't get any further on Christmas decorations today!

Day 358 - Thursday December 6, 2012

Mark offered to stay at home and help with things while I snuck away to see Ginny Wood for an appointment.  I decided that with twins coming I'd better take care of myself so I don't get any more worn out!  It was very nice to have an appointment and also very nice to have some adult conversation that didn't involve my teaching someone something!  At times my life is reminiscent of the days when I had all the kids at home and I was homeschooling.....each child sitting around the big table while I ran from person to person answering questions about the subject they were working on and always trying to think of the best thing for each one to help them learn the most.  By the end of the day I was exhausted!  It is always nice to see Ginny and she is always so supportive of our family--thanks Ginny!  When I got home I jumped right back into the routine and by evening I told the family that I was going to bed at 7:30, which I did!  Bridgett also went to bed and we both just crashed.  I amazingly slept until 6:30, which is late for me--eleven total hours of sleep!  I woke up tired but not exhausted like I had been feeling.  Bridgett slept until 8:00 so she was tired as well!  Needless to say we didn't get anything extra done today, which I need to be doing to be ready to help Jenn.  But, tomorrow back to the grindstone!

Day 357 - Wednesday December 5, 2012

We are getting back into our schedule/protocol of things that Bridgett does every day.  One of the new things that they have added....watch the national news daily and read some of the newspaper or a news magazine and discuss with the family.  We are trying to get Bridgett back into realizing what is happening around her.  I started the newspaper back up and it arrived for the first time today. Bridgett read some of the front page and seemed to enjoy it.  We tried listening to the news but it annoyed her really.  We will give it some time and try it again.  So this week Bridgett has been picking up some actual books and wanting to read them, notably her scriptures.  She has done some reading of scriptures from large print scriptures and from her ipad, but she specifically asked me for her very own scriptures (which were on her dresser but she had put something on top and forgotten where they were).  She has read from her scriptures several times a day all week.  Also, she started reading a couple of other books as well.  So, now when she lays down to read she has her kindle, her scriptures, Dinotopia, a Series of Unfortunate Events, and a John Grisham book and she rotates between them. At any given time you see the stack on the bed and it's kind of amusing to watch her rotate between the books.  Also today we put up the Christmas stockings, some of the wall hangings and a couple of things outside on the front door (or next to it).  We will shoot for doing some more decorating tomorrow. 

Day 356 - Tuesday December 4, 2012

Remember last Christmas for us.....sitting in the ICU while Bridgett was in a coma.....memorable but not in the good way!  So, this year we are trying to have a better Christmas!  We have had several crazy Christmases in a row and this year we might be having preemies so it might just fit right in there!  This morning we went into Bigfork to buy a Christmas tree.  Gone are the days that we hike into the woods, which was our family tradition every year until we moved to Bigfork.  Of course, the last few times we went we ended up with Charlie Brown trees, so I was happy to move here and need to buy a big, nice tree the year that Jenn got married (our excuse was the reception here at the house!).  Since then we have continued that new tradition.  Of course, last year the we bought the tree, put it in the garage to warm up, got a call that night about the accident and left in a hurry; Mark threw the tree out a few months later.  It was probably a good thing that we didn't actually get it put up!  Anyway, we have a tree now and hope to get it decorated in the next few days.  Mark got the Christmas decorations out of the garage and we put up the big nativity, which had recently been displayed at the Christmas Creche display at the stake center.  It's so fun to see all the ornaments!  By this time the girls were both tired and so we will put off doing more decorations until tomorrow.  We have always decorated with the kids and so we want to have them still have the fun of decorating, even if it means spreading it out over a few days.

Day 355 - Monday December 3, 2012

Home at last!  Bridgett is glad to be home and "out of the car!"  Today was a day of unpacking and organizing.  It will be a busy, crazy week because Jenn could go into labor at any time and so we might be headed right back. 

Day 354 - Sunday December 2, 2012

I wasnt planning on heading home until tomorrow, but after some discussion with Mark we decided that I had better just head home today.  Jenn will have her ultrasound next Monday (just over a week from today) and then they might decide to deliver the babies right away.  I have a lot of things to get done at home before we come back down, so I had better get home sooner than later!  It is hard for me to leave Jenn at this time and I wish that I could stay, but hopefully everything will be under control with people helping her for now. It is very hard to be the mother on bed rest with small children. I was on bed rest when I was pregnant with Arri and it was very hard (and also at Christmas time!). We got up and did some last minute packing, a quick check of the hotel room and headed off to Salt Lake after kissing Arrianne goodbye; we had already kissed Jenn and family yesterday.  We stopped in Salt Lake to see my mom and had a short, very nice visit with her.  Stephany was able to go in today and see Grandma's new apartment, which is so very nice.  Grandma has her Christmas stuff out and it was nice to see her gas fireplace "burning".  Bridgett took Stephany on a tour of the apartment, so apparently she remembers seeing it earlier this week.  Afterwards we headed out on the long trip back to Montana.   The girls did really great on the trip home and actually the time went by very quickly.  Bridgett actually didn't have pain for the whole trip and that was awesome! The roads were very good until we got close to Butte and then we hit snow.  Luckily it turned to rain by the time we hit the swan highway.  It was great to get home and give Mark a big kiss!  There's no place like home!

Day 353 - Saturday December 1, 2012

I can hardly believe the time has gone by so quickly and already it is December.  We are still in Utah.  Jenn is on bed rest until the twins are born.  I spent the morning with Jenn and the boys while Tyler stayed with Bridgett and Stephany at the hotel.  We played for a while, I tried to help Jenn do some planning and then I took the boys to Burger King for hamburgers and then Target for shopping.  I forgot to mention this about Bridgett--she randomly decided that she wants to start straightening her hair again!  When we were with Arri she asked her to help straighten her hair and now she has asked me to help find her straightener when we get home so that she can use it.  Bridgett seems to be paying more attention to some of these kinds of details lately, which is good.  We tried to get to sleep early so that we can be fresh to head home tomorrow.  It's been a busy two weeks and seems about time to get back to home, our own beds, and more routine.

Day 352 - Friday November 30. 2012

When we went shopping for baby things we bought three sets of cute preemie outfits and Jenn was so excited to see those!  We hung them on the knobs on the dresser so that she could look at them while laying in bed.  She also loved the diapers; they are so small!  This morning before heading to Monroe with Bridgett and Stephany I started some lentil soup for Jenn's dinner and asked Mariah, Jenn's sister-in-law (who was helping today with the boys), to turn it off when it was finished so that we could head out.  Our appointments today went great, although I got a call again that Jenn was in the hospital again with more contractions.  After stress testing the babies and talking to the doctor, they released her home again.  She is dilated to a 1 but they just stressed keeping her fluids up and staying in bed; apparently it is somewhat common to get dehydrated when pregnant with twins.  A week from Monday they will do an ultrasound and check to see whether the one twin, Lincoln, is doing OK as far as growth; they are worried that with the poor umbilical cord placement he will stop growing.  As far as Bridgett's appointment.....she is having NO tailbone pain ever since she had her appointment on Tuesday (yippee!).  Also, her neck pain is very low, less than 1 on a 1-10 scale.  She is also very low on kidney pain.  Faith said that she doesn't have any kidney stones but that there is a lot of sludge, almost sand like, that she is having to pass.  This confirms what I had been thinking already.  I had mentioned this to the doctors months ago that it seemed that she had sediment but they just passed it off and said not to worry about it.  Faith was able to do more work on Bridgett's eyes and also more brain work.  Faith is very positive about how things are coming with Bridgett.  Next she worked on Stephany and that also went well.  We are finding more answers to the problems she is having and we are hopeful that she will be getting stronger now. 

Day 351 - Thursday November 29, 2012

Today was another early day for Bridgett.  She got into the swing of the time change in New York and so now she is waking up at 5:00 a.m. instead of 7:00 a.m. (and going to bed at 7:00-7:30 p.m.).  Of course, I am always awake early so, these past couple of days we have been leaving the hotel so that it is quiet for Stephany to sleep a little longer.  Yesterday we did some grocery shopping for Jenn, and today we did some shopping for the babies for Jenn.  First we hit Walmart (they are open 24/7).  We got preemie diapers and baby fingernail clippers, etc.  Afterwards we spent some time working on Bridgett's program.  Luckily there is a computer with internet access that we can use in the business center, since I also seem to forget to bring the laptop.  I am already carrying a bag with the kindle, the ipad and some books that Bridgett uses everyday.  We have been given new instructions for the eye exercises that we do daily; specifically to move very slowly so that her eye focuses completely and I believe to strengthen the muscles; we are working on that.  Also, Bridgett is supposed to read some news daily and watch some news daily; we are working on that as well. There are several other changes as well as instructions to continue the other things we are already doing.  Of course, while we were in New York much of the program was not accomplished daily, but instead we had lots of other stimulus that week. 

Day 350 - Wednesday November 28, 2012

While we were in Monroe yesterday I got a call from Tyler (Noland) saying that Jenn was having contractions and had gone to the hospital; he was with the kids.  She was having actual contractions and they finally sent her home and put her on complete bed rest.  I am not sure that I have mentioned this but they have told her that there is a complication with one of the twins; the umbilical cord is attached at the side of the placenta instead of the middle.  If her water breaks, he will die in one minute so there will be no time to do anything about it.  They told her about this some time last week before we left to New York.  She and Tyler (Fenn) are naturally very concerned and worried.  It is a lot of stress for her to deal with, especially when she is having contractions.  I spent part of the day over at Jenn's house, trying to help with the kids so she could stay down.  I will try to help her get things figured out before I try to go back to Montana, so that she is able to stay on bed rest.  Bridgett was doing just great after her yesterday appointment; Stephany is extremely fatigued.